September 22nd, 2022

Thursday’s are the day that students are able to complete their Thoughtful Thursday journal prompts. Doing these journal prompts on a daily really helps build the students writing skills, critical thinking, and vocabulary usage. Throughout these first few weeks I’ve noticed that students are consistently working on their writing skills (punctuation, proper spacing, spelling words correctly), bettering their math skillset (fluency with facts to 10, application problems in their math books, solving basic addition/subtraction equations), phonics, and more. Towards the end of the day students have a little free period which entails them going to their different centers, I love enjoying students when they are doing their STEAM boxes because its something they really seem to enjoy doing and get really invested. Since it was beginning to look a bit like Fall, we where able to go outside in the play ground area and take a picture of the students in front of this huge tree. The point of doing this was to see how the tree progress over the next few weeks (what color will the leaves change?, when will all the leaves fall off?, etc.). After we took pictures we had students come back in and I read a book to them for story time and yes ! you guessed it !! it was a book about Fall, Clifford’s 1st Autumn by Norman B. to be exact. As you can see today was a pretty good day with the students.

September 15th, 2022

Hello Bloggers !

Today in my field experience class was a pretty simple day for the most part. I did a reading survey with the students. With this reading survey the goal was to see what type of books my students like. A lot of questions I asked them pertained to genre’s of books, picture books, favorite book characters, etc. This survey was great to do because it helped me get to know the students a little bit on a more personal level. Once I completed my reading interest survey with the students they went back to doing their day to day schedule. During math time students went on their Chromebooks to get on Zearn. This was my first time ever hearing about a math computer app by the name of Zearn so I was curious to see the many things students would be doing on this app. While students where on the app I walked around and saw that the app allows them to work through word problems, solve addition/subtraction equations, make ten frames, and so much more. Overall I would say today was a pretty good day for the most part because I was able to learn more about my students.

Sabrina Ferguson – September 8th, 2022

My field experience classroom has been great so far. I was able to work with the students as they had some free time to explore the many STEM boxes in their classroom. My MT spoke with me to go over the different procedures/assignments that she does day to day with the students. One of the things that she spoke about the caught my eye was how she does “LEGO UP” with her students which consist of each student starting off with a green LEGO on their desk and when they come into the classroom in the morning they receive a blue LEGO for coming to school ready to learn. Throughout the day if the MT see’s that a student is following directions, doing their in class assignments, etc she will tell that student to “LEGO UP” when students have all the LEGOS on their desk they will be able to get a LEGO person. At the end of the day however many LEGOS the student has the teacher transfers those into points for the students and I think this is a great reward system to keep the students motivated to learn and stay on task. Some things that I hope to learn from my MT this semester is new ways to keep students on task and motivated throughout the year. I’m glad to be involved with this classroom because I feel the students are open to learning new things and that they come in ready and prepared to take on the day. The MT mentioned she wanted to begin doing centers for the students which is something I’m looking forward to and working with the students in small groups to see where they are at academically.

Many people are familiar with Patty Hill who was the key founder for NAEYC. Patty was a teacher and enjoyed working with younger students. She believed that there was a need for research related to ECE and the development of prominent teacher education programs. Hill made it clear that there were certain threads that needed to be met in order to have qualified teachers, these threads included: linking research/practice, the importance of DAP, teacher efficacy, high standards for teacher education. Patty believed that when teachers work with students it shouldn’t be 100% structured teaching, but she stressed the importance of students creativity as well as the value that play has in ECE. She also created the Patty Hill Blocks which are important with play, students can build, enter, and play with these blocks. In order for students to be successful in their learning process and make use of their creativity, independence, and overall play it all starts with the teachers and making teachers qualified enough to assist students into being the best version of themselves.

Reference:

Crawford, Patricia. (2017). Back to the Future With Patty Smith Hill. Childhood Education. 93. 213-217. 10.1080/00094056.2017.1325238.

Hyperlink: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317053299_Back_to_the_Future_With_Patty_Smith_Hill

“Teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests” – President Barack Obama

Assessments are an important tool that can help teachers see their students growth, understand their needs, and plan proper activities to take their development further. It’s important for teachers to give their students proper assessments so they can identify ways to support their learning and development throughout the school year. By giving proper assessments teachers can give feedback to students and their families. Some principles of assessments in ECE are to empower the student, take into account the holistic way in which each student learns (recognize strengths/weaknesses – work on areas that need improvement or extra support), include student’s families, and take into consideration all of the environmental factors of the students life. In ECE, a credit-based approach to assessment is recommended because attention is paid to a students strengths, interests and dispositions. The goal is to use assessments to recognize and build on existing behaviors in a broader and deeper range of contexts which means focusing on students developing knowledge, skills, attitudes and dispositions. It would be beneficial for teachers to make a portfolio for each student because this can be used as an assessment tool. Implementing assessments in ECE can assist with identifying the needs of students and prevent future learning difficulties. It’s important for school districts and teachers to know that standardized tests can not justify the full development or knowledge of a child (or anyone in general) but alternative assessment methods can effectively be used to see the progress a person is making and the skills needed that can be applied in the real world.

Reference:

Assessment in ECE. THE EDUCATION HUB. (2020, June 4). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://theeducationhub.org.nz/category/ece-resources/assessment-in-ece/.

Hyperlink: https://theeducationhub.org.nz/category/ece-resources/assessment-in-ece/

Using technology during whole-group instruction can be beneficial for visual/auditory learners and students that have learning impairments. With adding technology into the daily curriculum teachers can incorporate a variety of media such as games, online quizzes/class assignments, PowerPoints, videos, and more. Allowing technology use can offer differentiation inside the classroom and give students a chance to work through many assignments/projects at their own pace (Let’s not forget about DAP principle #3 – Children learn and develop at varying rates). Having technology in an ECE can help with cognitive development, children have potential to gain necessary skills for reasoning and handling classwork, overall improvement of a child’s learning & growth by using certain programs students will get the chance to develop early literacy growth, being exposed to different educational platforms, and improvement of their overall work pace. Technology should not be looked at in a negative light, but it should be seen as the helping hand to improve learning and student engagement inside the classroom. Teachers have access to an entire digital world out there that can be used to improve their teaching skills that allow them to promote learning and create an active learning environment for ALL of their students. With proper guidance and support, students in ECE can conquer the use of technology and reap all the benefits in the end.

Reference:

Nagro, S. A., Hooks, S. D., Fraser, D. W., & Cornelius, K. E. (2016). Whole-group response strategies to promote student engagement in inclusive classrooms. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 48(5), 243–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059916640749

Costley, K. (2014) The Positive Effects of Technology on Teaching and Student Learning

Hyperlink(s): https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED554557.pdf https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0040059916640749

Small group instruction is beneficial in ECE because it provides students with more modified and individualized instruction and teachers and students have a greater chance to interact with eachother. By doing small group literacy instruction teachers can provide their students with extensive assistance and feedback to improve their reading skills. Small group instruction is able to assist students with improving their reading fluency, encourages participation and learning to work well with others. When teachers do small group it allows them to focus on certain skills that are needed by each group of children. Small group instruction lines up with Vygotsky’s beliefs about children learn through being social, within these groups the students can not only talk to their peers, but they can also participate in hands on activities. In school when teachers are doing small group instruction word study can be integrated into the groups so students can practice how to use their prequiste word knowledge to decode words that are unfamiliar when they are reading. Providing small group instruction is a must because it gives students a chance to engage, create and problem solve independently, and overall progression with their reading abilities.

Reference:

Berg, H., Nabors, D., Simpson, C., Timme, K., Wilson, T. (2012) Small-Group Reading Instruction: Lessons From the Field: Dimensions of Early Childhood, 40(3).

Hyperlink: https://www.rcboe.org/cms/lib/GA01903614/Centricity/Domain/15500/Dimensions_Vol40_3_Wilson.pdf

Math is one of the most important subjects that is taught in ECE because it provides students with the building blocks they will need throughout their entire life. Research has been shown that early math skills are important for children’s development. Math curricula and instruction in school as well as practicing math at home can assist with increasing each child’s math knowledge. It’s important for educators to use different media when teaching math such as manipulatives, board games, and fun activities. Teaching the importance of math in ECE provides a strong base for reasoning, estimation, and logical thinking when kids get older which in turn will help them excel when they move into higher grades. As students are in early elementary they are able to learn two main concepts which are numbers/how to use them and exploring shapes, sizes, and sequences. There are a variety of ways teachers and parents can get children interested in math, but it starts with laying down the foundation for them to develop an appreciation for math and all its uses. While in school the teachers should make sure they are using progress monitoring to ensure that the math instruction is building on the prerequisite knowledge of their students. As a teacher it is important to remember the DAP principle that kids learn/develop at different levels which needs to be taken into considerate while teaching such a intrinsic subject like Math.

Reference:

Hardy, J. K., & Hemmeter, M. L. (2019). Systematic Instruction of Early Math Skills for Preschoolers at Risk for Math Delays. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 38(4), 234–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121418792300

Hyperlink https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1203712.pdf

Literacy Instruction is important for kids because it helps with broadening their vocabulary and making it extensive. With literacy children’s creativity skills begin to develop, better concentration, as well as their cognitive development is improved. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Development, there are five areas that are important for students’ effective literacy instruction, those five skills are phonics, fluency, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and comprehension. Phonics/Word recognition both deals with students being able to identify the relationship between words and decode/sound out those words, as well as being able to recognize words that are written down. Print concepts involve students knowing that print can be read and tell a story, knowing what the front and back of a book is knowledge of what direction they should be reading in, and more. Phonological Awareness is when students can understand and recognize words that are made up of different sound units, recognize patterns, and build on that prerequisite knowledge to read words on their own. Phonemic Awareness is known as the foundation of literacy development. It provides the foundation that students need in order to understand phonics which is the first step towards teaching students literacy. Lastly, fluency is when students are using their oral language, this allows students to be able to comprehend their readings as well as have effective communication skills. Students must be able to understand different print concepts, phonological awareness, fluency, and word recognition. In order for students to be successful with literacy, teachers need to make sure they are meeting the individual needs of each student. Without having proper foundation skills it will result in poor performance in many students. Learning how to read is a process that continues to build on a range of developing skills. Each child goes through each stage of literacy development at their own pace and that should be taken into consideration by their teachers.

Reference:

Brown, C. (2014). Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years: Foundational Skills that Support Emergent Readers. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1034914.pdf

Hyperlink https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1034914.pdf

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